Rays Sign Kyle Farnsworth and Luke Scott; Morgan To Japan

Farnsworth gets one year and up to $3M based on incentives. Compared to other relievers of his ilk, that’s very fair. Farnsworth is essentially Jon Rauch, but not quite as tall, with more strikeouts and maybe more likely to avoid the DL in 2013. The cost and commitment gives hope that the Mets can still assemble an OK bullpen, even with their miniscule budget.

Scott’s deal has not yet been announced, but it’s likely a one-year deal — possibly a minor-league contract. Scott is a power-hitting DH who can play 1B and wander in an outfield corner on occasion, but he hits from the left side so the Mets likely weren’t interested. In other words, this signing is a “whatever.”

In other news that’s mildly interesting, Nyjer Morgan has reportedly signed with a team in Japan. So, for those of you thinking that Morgan might be a good backup plan for CF / leadoff, it ain’t happening.

Joe Janish began MetsToday in 2005 to provide the unique perspective of a high-level player and coach -- he earned NCAA D-1 All-American honors as a catcher and coached several players who went on to play pro ball. As a result his posts often include mechanical evaluations, scout-like analysis, and opinions that go beyond the numbers. Follow Joe's baseball tips on Twitter at @onbaseball and at the On Baseball Google Plus page.